Uploaded September 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
(27 Aug 2026)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina - 27 August 2026
1. Wide of street with Bosnian flag
2. Chairman of Bosnian presidency, Denis Becirovic arrives
3. SOUNDBITE (Bosnian) Denis Becirovic, chairman of Bosnian presidency:
"War criminal Ratko Mladic was one the most brutal killers of Europe in 20th century. He's a war criminal that UN court convicted for genocide against Bosniaks, terror, expulsions, deportations, most horrific crimes. He will be blacklisted in the history of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Europe and world. At this moment, my thoughts are with the victims, their families, all citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina, who suffered the consequences of the aggression against Bosnia and Herzegovina and committed genocide against Bosniaks. We, as Bosnia and Herzegovina, have to turn to the future. Preserve the truth, fight for justice, and educate new generations so the genocide and war crimes never happen to anyone else again."
4. Various of crowd on the street
5. SOUNDBITE (Bosnian) Hamdija Salkic, resident of Sarajevo:
"I think it's the end of an era. He is a convicted war criminal according to international courts. What's interesting here is that one part of the country perceives him differently, but I think history will make us understand what is his place and where does he (Mladic) belong."
6. Wide of crowd on the street
7. SOUNDBITE (Bosnian) Adnan Terzimehic, resident of Sarajevo:
'I am glad, because I think people can now move on. If this (death) makes it easier for people to move on, then I'm really glad it happened. People and victims especially, will never forget it, but if his death makes it easier, then I'm glad. I don't know what else to say, but there is this psychological barrier, so I think this will make it easier for people to move on to the future."
8. Wide of crowd on the street
STORYLINE:
The chairman of Bosnia's presidency said Ratko Mladic, the Bosnian Serb general who oversaw the worst massacre in Europe since World War II, would be "blacklisted in the history of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Europe and the world."
"War criminal Ratko Mladic was one of the most brutal killers of Europe in the 20th century," said Denis Becirovic, chairman of the Bosnian presidency.
"He is a war criminal that the U.N. court convicted for genocide against Bosniaks, terror, expulsions, deportations, the most horrific crimes."
He said his thoughts were with the victims and their families, and called on Bosnia to "preserve the truth, fight for justice, and educate new generations so that genocide and war crimes never happen to anyone else again."
Mladic, 84, died in a U.N. prison hospital in The Hague, Netherlands, while serving a life sentence.
The U.N. tribunal for war crimes committed during the 1990s Yugoslav wars sentenced him to life in prison in 2017. He had been in custody since 2011 after years on the run.
When the ethnic war in Bosnia started in 1992, Mladic became the commander of the Bosnian Serb troops and took control of large swaths of the country to form a Serb mini-state.
In 1995, his forces slaughtered more than 8,000 Muslim men and boys in Srebrenica, the only post-World War II case of genocide in Europe.
In Sarajevo, residents greeted his death with a mix of relief and reflection.
"I think it's the end of an era," said Hamdija Salkic. "He is a convicted war criminal according to international courts. One part of the country perceives him differently, but I think history will make us understand what his place is and where he belongs."
AP video and Production by: Eldar Emric
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(27 Aug 2026)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina - 27 August 2026
1. Wide of street with Bosnian flag
2. Chairman of Bosnian presidency, Denis Becirovic arrives
3. SOUNDBITE (Bosnian) Denis Becirovic, chairman of Bosnian presidency:
"War criminal Ratko Mladic was one the most brutal killers of Europe in 20th century. He's a war criminal that UN court convicted for genocide against Bosniaks, terror, expulsions, deportations, most horrific crimes. He will be blacklisted in the history of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Europe and world. At this moment, my thoughts are with the victims, their families, all citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina, who suffered the consequences of the aggression against Bosnia and Herzegovina and committed genocide against Bosniaks. We, as Bosnia and Herzegovina, have to turn to the future. Preserve the truth, fight for justice, and educate new generations so the genocide and war crimes never happen to anyone else again."
4. Various of crowd on the street
5. SOUNDBITE (Bosnian) Hamdija Salkic, resident of Sarajevo:
"I think it's the end of an era. He is a convicted war criminal according to international courts. What's interesting here is that one part of the country perceives him differently, but I think history will make us understand what is his place and where does he (Mladic) belong."
6. Wide of crowd on the street
7. SOUNDBITE (Bosnian) Adnan Terzimehic, resident of Sarajevo:
'I am glad, because I think people can now move on. If this (death) makes it easier for people to move on, then I'm really glad it happened. People and victims especially, will never forget it, but if his death makes it easier, then I'm glad. I don't know what else to say, but there is this psychological barrier, so I think this will make it easier for people to move on to the future."
8. Wide of crowd on the street
STORYLINE:
The chairman of Bosnia's presidency said Ratko Mladic, the Bosnian Serb general who oversaw the worst massacre in Europe since World War II, would be "blacklisted in the history of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Europe and the world."
"War criminal Ratko Mladic was one of the most brutal killers of Europe in the 20th century," said Denis Becirovic, chairman of the Bosnian presidency.
"He is a war criminal that the U.N. court convicted for genocide against Bosniaks, terror, expulsions, deportations, the most horrific crimes."
He said his thoughts were with the victims and their families, and called on Bosnia to "preserve the truth, fight for justice, and educate new generations so that genocide and war crimes never happen to anyone else again."
Mladic, 84, died in a U.N. prison hospital in The Hague, Netherlands, while serving a life sentence.
The U.N. tribunal for war crimes committed during the 1990s Yugoslav wars sentenced him to life in prison in 2017. He had been in custody since 2011 after years on the run.
When the ethnic war in Bosnia started in 1992, Mladic became the commander of the Bosnian Serb troops and took control of large swaths of the country to form a Serb mini-state.
In 1995, his forces slaughtered more than 8,000 Muslim men and boys in Srebrenica, the only post-World War II case of genocide in Europe.
In Sarajevo, residents greeted his death with a mix of relief and reflection.
"I think it's the end of an era," said Hamdija Salkic. "He is a convicted war criminal according to international courts. One part of the country perceives him differently, but I think history will make us understand what his place is and where he belongs."
AP video and Production by: Eldar Emric
Find out more about AP Archive: aparchive.com/HowWeWork
Twitter: twitter.com/AP_Archive
Facebook: facebook.com/APArchives
Instagram: instagram.com/APNews
You can license this story through AP Archive: aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/dde787120a1c484e8e38373be3352b91
